In the name of Allah, Most Merciful, Bestower of Mercy

All praise is due to Allah, Lord of all creation. May the peace and blessings of Allah be upon the Messenger, his family, his Companions and those who follow him till the Hour is established.

Dear brothers and sisters, Allah Almighty offer salutations to Prophet Ibrahim (Peace be upon him) in every prayer. Allah Almighty chose him, guided him and blessed him with sound wisdom.

Since his early age, Prophet Ibrahim (Peace be upon him) stood in the face of evil and evil men, debated with his people, called them to worship Allah alone and when they persisted in disbelief, he destroyed the idols that his people were worshiping.

As a consequence, when their arguments were refuted and their incapability became clear, when truth was made manifest and falsehood was defeated, they resorted to using their power and strength, and decided to throw him in the raging fire.

They were so full of hatred for him that they considered it a religious duty to put him in torment. In Tafsir of Imam Ibn Kathir it says that:

“At that time if a woman was sick, she would make a vow that if she recovered she would bring wood to burn Prophet Ibrahim.”

There was no limit to their hostility but all their aggressiveness could not make Prophet Ibrahim’s faith in Allah flinch even a tiny bit. We can’t even imagine the plight of Prophet Ibrahim. He was the only believer among the huge crowd of evil people and polytheists and even his own father was on the side of the prosecution. Prophet Ibrahim (Peace be upon him) heard them when they plotted against him, he saw them when they made a hole in the ground and set it aflame, and it burned with huge sparks and immense flames yet his faith in Allah remained unshakable and his heart in full submission to His plan for him. Ibn Abbas said:

“When Prophet Ibrahim was thrown into the fire, he said: ‘HasbunAllahu wa ni’mal Wakeel — Allah (alone) is sufficient for us, and, He is the best Disposer of affairs.” [Al-Bukhari]

Allah Almighty said:

“Those to whom hypocrites said, ‘Indeed, the people have gathered against you, so fear them.’ But it (merely) increased them in faith, and they said, “Sufficient for us is Allah, and (He is) the best Disposer of affairs (Hasbunallahu wa ni’mal Wakeel).” [Qur’an, 3:173]

Words which mean Allah is sufficient for us, we don’t need anybody else but Him, He is someone we delegate our affairs to and He is the only One Who will take care of us.

A heart devoid of faith will never be able to say these words. It’s only a true believer who will understand and know without a doubt that Allah alone is the One who Bestows help and protection and the One Who Withholds, and He alone is the Remover of Harm and Affliction. When Prophet Ibrahim (Peace be upon him) uttered these words he affirmed the Power of Allah, His Love and His knowledge. He knew that Allah is Aware of his feelings and his condition. He said these powerful words as if they were a shield for him against the raging fire and he didn’t care who was against him because he had the Most powerful and Most Merciful with him. And history is aware of how the response of Allah came as a swift command and He said to the raging fire:

“O fire! Be you cool and safety for Ibrahim!” and there was no fire left on earth that was not extinguished.”

Ibn Abbas and Abu Al-Aliyah said:

“Were it not for the fact that Allah said, “..and safety,” Ibrahim would have been harmed by its coldness.”

Allahu Akbar! See how Allah responded to the faithful statement of Prophet Ibrahim in the best of ways and made him land into a place similar to a garden with no sign of the blazing fire and gave him victory over the ones who thought that they had power over all things. And this is only because of his strong faith and his Du’a filled with certainty, the effect of which made the world sit up and watch in amazement! It was the same faith and certainty in his Lord that made Ibrahim (Peace be upon him) disassociate himself from his father and his people and make hijrah to someplace where he could establish the religion of Allah with his wife Sarah and his nephew Prophet Lut who had accepted faith. And Allah tells us of another similar and equally beautiful Du’a that he uttered when he left:

“Rabbana alaika tawakkalna wa alaika anabna wa ilaikal masir. “Our Lord, upon You we have relied, and to You we have returned, and to You is the destination.” [Qur’an, 60:4]

Know Dear servants of Allah, submitting to the will of Allah and leaving your affairs to Him provides the healing touch that is much necessary in one’s life. One has to believe in the promise of Allah when He tells us in the Qur’an:

“And whoever relies upon Allah, then He is sufficient for him.” [Qur’an, 65:3]

Respected brothers and sisters, relying on Allah Alone, trusting Him for His Decisions for us and patiently waiting for an outcome that will always be best for us even if it is not pleasing to us, is the condition for Allah being sufficient for us! When we don’t have such a belief then Allah leaves us on our own. By putting one’s complete Trust in Allah, by leaving matters unto Him, by seeking only His grace and mercy, by accepting His decree, by submitting to His Will, a Muslim can equip oneself to face all the challenges of life. And this one single statement: ‘Hasbunallahu wa ni’mal Wakeel’ will be enough in itself to be a source of all strength, a push toward attaining our goals and a reason for ultimate success, In Shaa Allah!

We must also be certain that Allah does whatever He wishes, whenever He wishes. Allah tells us in the Qur’an:

“Verily, His command, when He intends a thing, is only that He says ‘Be’ and it is!” [Qur’an, 36:82]

One must believe with certainty that Allah possesses all treasures. Allah the Most High says:

“And there is not a thing, but with Us are the stores thereof. And We do not send it down except in a known measure.” [Qur’an, 15:21]

Also, in the Hadith Qudsi narrated by Abu Zarr that Allah revealed through His Prophet:

“O my servants, were the first of you and last of you, the human of you and jinn of you to rise up in one place and make a request from me, and were I to give everyone what they requested, that would not decrease what I have anymore than a needle decreases the sea if put into it.” [Muslim]

Our trust as Muslims is in the Most Beneficent and Most Merciful Allah, and, without any doubt, He alone is our Guardian and Protector. Try to recite the following words abundantly: “Hasbunallahu wa ni’mal wakeel”, “Allah is sufficient for us and He is our Guardian and protector”, obviously keeping in mind the meaning of what you recite. It would be commendable to recite this Tasbih regularly. Encourage your children, family members, relatives and friends to do likewise. In Shaa Allah, this will re-affirm our Trust (Tawakkul) in Almighty Allah and bring about the much needed help from Allah, the Most Merciful.

“Allah is the Wali (Protector or Guardian) of those who believe. He brings them out from darkness into light. But as for those who disbelieve, their Auliya (supporters and helpers) are Taghut [false deities and false leaders], they bring them out from light into darkness. Those are the dwellers of the Fire, and they will abide therein forever.” [Qur’an, 2:257]

“Remember when Ayub (Job) called out to Allah?” He owned much (wealth) and many children, good health, and Allah Almighty blessed him with many blessings. Yet, Allah tested Ayub if he was a true believer, and took away the wealth, then Allah took back his offspring. Allah took one of his children and continued taking away from Ayub. But still Ayub remained thankful and passed the test. He still worshiped Allah even when his wealth and offspring were gone. And Allah took his health away.”

The bottom line is: Prophet Ayub still was upset. He asked his wife “How long it will last?,” as the disease that he was stricken with was truly very bad, but Ayub still worshiped Allah, and his patience made him pass the test of Allah. The story of Ayub is a very good example amongst us.

Lastly, remember, help and protection are from Allah, evil whispers are from Shaitan. And power and authority belongs to Allah.

All praise is due to Allah, Lord of the worlds. May the peace, blessings and salutations of Allah be upon our noble Messenger, Muhammad, and upon his family, his Companions and his true followers.

Murtadha Muhammad Gusau is the Chief Imam of Nagazi-Uvete Jumu’ah and the late Alhaji Abdur-Rahman Okene’s Mosques, Okene, Kogi State, Nigeria. He can be reached via: gusauimam@gmail.com or +2348038289761.

This Jumu’ah Khutbah (Friday Sermon) was prepared for delivery today, Friday, Jumada al-Ula 7, 1441 A. H. (January 3, 2020).